G3 Holistic Inc. president Aaron Sandusky transferred to Texas prison

Photo gallery:Aaron Sandusky UPLAND -- Aaron Sandusky, serving a 10-year sentence for operating a medical marijuana cooperative in Upland, has been transferred out of state to Texas.

Sandusky, president of the now-closed G3 Holistic Inc. cooperative in Upland, Colton and Moreno Valley, has been transferred from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles to the Federal Correctional Institution Big Spring in western Texas.

"It's hell. He said he'd rather be where he was in Los Angeles," said Darlene Buenrostro, Sandusky's girlfriend and former G3 employee.

The low-security facility is located about 300 east of El Paso,.

Sandusky, 43 of Rancho Cucamonga, spent two weeks in transit from Los Angeles to Texas. He officially reached the Texas facility over the weekend.

"He said the transfer was extremely brutal," Buenrostro said.

Buenrostro said she does not know why Sandusky was transferred to Texas but has spoken to him a couple times by phone since he arrived.

"He thought he'd be more comfortable when they transferred him. He's having a rough time getting adjusted to it all," she said.

Sandusky was convicted in October for violating federal marijuana laws.

He was sentenced in January to 10 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson.

Sandusky's release date has been set for May 8, 2021.

Anderson recommended Sandusky be placed in a federal facility in Victorville.

There are two medium security facilities and one high security facility in Victorville. The nearest low security facility is Terminal Island, said Chris Burke, spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Burke said he could not comment specifically on Sandusky's transfer but gave several reasons why inmates are moved.

"We also take into account recommendations if the judges make any as well as any security concerns the inmate represents or that other inmates in the system represents to him," Burke said. "We also take a look at his medical and psychological needs and try to match him up with a program to meet his needs. "

Inmates are typically housed within 500 miles of their release location, but an inmate may be moved farther out.

"Sometimes we end up transferring inmates outside 500 miles for security concerns or there's a particular program that is not offered near his home," he said.

Prison overcrowding can also factor into a transfer, he said.

"There's nothing to prevent him from asking for a transfer closer to home at some point," Burke said.

Sandusky's attorney, Roger Jon Diamond, is still working on appealing Sandusky's conviction.

Diamond is waiting on two transcripts taken during Sandusky's trial before he can write his opening brief.

Diamond said it is not necessary for him to speak with Sandusky in person during the appeal process, but that it would help.

"It's nice to be able to visit your client even if it's not technically necessary for strictly legal reasons, but just to show the client that you're doing a good job working on the matter and diligently pursuing it," he said.

Buenrostro said Sandusky was told five days before his transfer that he was being moved.

He was bused to Victorville, where he was put on a plane and sent to a county prison in New Mexico.

Sandusky spent several days in a cell with two other inmates in New Mexico, where he was not given medication for his heart condition, she said.

Buenrostro said he has yet to be given his medication in the Texas facility.

"I don't understand that. This is something he needs daily," she said.

Sandusky described his current accommodations to Buenrostro as being a dormitory with aisles of bunk beds and 160 inmates.

He will be given a job in the prison and will be paid $15 a month, she said.

But, aside from the move, Buenrostro said Sandusky is remaining hopeful that the appeal will be successful.

"He's still hopeful," she said. "He's not giving up that he's discouraged for obvious reasons he's trying to adjust. "